Editing Berlin Conference (section)

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Short description|1884–85 European meeting on colonisation in Africa}}
{{About|the conference from 1884 to 1885|other uses|Berlin Conference (disambiguation)}}
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[[File:Afrikakonferenz.jpg|thumb|The conference of Berlin, as illustrated in German newspaper ''[[Die Gartenlaube]]'']]
[[File:Kongokonferenz.jpg|thumb|The conference of Berlin, as illustrated in ''[[Illustrirte Zeitung]]'']]

The '''Berlin Conference''' of 1884–1885 was a meeting of [[colonial power]]s that concluded  with the signing of the '''General Act of Berlin''',<ref name="Belgian Congo and the Berlin act">[https://archive.org/details/belgiancongoberl00keituoft/page/56/mode/2up?q=stanley ''The Belgian Congo and the Berlin act''], by Keith, Arthur Berriedale, 1919, p. 52.</ref> an agreement regulating European colonisation and trade in Africa during the [[New Imperialism]] period. The conference of fourteen countries was organised by [[Otto von Bismarck]], the first [[chancellor of Germany]], at the request of [[Leopold II of Belgium]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWEuj0PA_JY De Belgische Koloniën - Documentaire over het Belgisch Koloniaal Rijk (English: The Belgian Colonies - Documentary on the Belgian Colonial Empire) timestamp 10:40 to 10:52)]</ref> It met on 15 November 1884 and, after an [[adjournment]], concluded on 26 February 1885 with the signing of the General Act.

The General Act of Berlin can be seen as the formalisation of the [[Scramble for Africa]] that was already in full swing.<ref name="In Defense of German Colonialism">[https://www.thepostil.com/in-defense-of-german-colonialism/ Bruce Gilley: In Defense of German Colonialism, September  1, 2022]</ref> The conference contributed to ushering in a period of heightened colonial activity by European powers, and is sometimes cited as being responsible for the "carve-up of Africa".{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} However, some scholars warn against overstating its role in the colonial partitioning of Africa, drawing attention to the many bilateral agreements concluded before and after the conference.<ref name="Katzenellenbogen">{{Cite book|last=Katzenellenbogen|first=S.|date=1996|chapter=It didn't happen at Berlin: Politics, economics and ignorance in the setting of Africa's colonial boundaries.|editor1=Nugent, P. |editor2=Asiwaju, A. I. |title=African Boundaries: Barriers, Conduits and Opportunities |pages=21–34 |location=London |publisher=Pinter}}</ref><ref name="Craven">{{Cite journal|last=Craven|first=M.|year=2015|title=Between law and history: the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 and the logic of free trade|journal=[[London Review of International Law]]|volume=3|pages=31–59|doi=10.1093/lril/lrv002|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Crowe" /> A 2024 study found that the only borders set at the conference were those of the Congo region (and these were subsequently revised), and that most of Africa’s borders did not take their final form until over two decades later.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Paine |first1=Jack |last2=Qiu |first2=Xiaoyan |last3=Ricart-Huguet |first3=Joan |date=2024 |title=Endogenous Colonial Borders: Precolonial States and Geography in the Partition of Africa |journal=American Political Science Review |volume=119 |pages=1–20 |language=en |doi=10.1017/S0003055424000054 |issn=0003-0554|doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Wm. Roger Louis]] conceded, however, that "the Berlin Act did have a relevance to the course of the partition" of Africa.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

An alternative point of view has been presented that the Conference was about denying new weapons to Africa. The machine gun had been recently invented, which at the time was a weapon of mass destruction, and if this could be embargoed to Africa, there would be the possibility of a speedy conquest. Since embargoes are inevitably broken, it would be essential to act speedily. Ethiopia was able to gain modern weapons from Imperial Russia, which allowed Ethiopia to maintain its independence. The Russian Revolution of 1917 was the death knell of this embargo.<ref name ="Ethiopia and Berlin">[https://www.academia.edu/127828539/Ethiopia_and_Berlin_Keys_to_understanding_the_Ukraine_conflict/Dapo Ladimeji: Ethiopia and Berlin, February 2025]</ref>

European powers were also driven by economic motivations, as competition for the vast natural resources on the continent were crucial for industrialization and expansion. As European industries grew, the raw materials such as rubber, minerals, ivory, and cotton made Africa highly valuable. In addition, the control over the vast African markets allowed European countries to sell manufactured goods, leading to economic dominance in resources and trade. The Berlin Conference materialized these ambitions, formalizing claims to areas rich in resources and establishing rules to deter conflict among the European powers. Economic rivalries between Britain and France increased the urgency to secure colonies before monopolies were created in key areas such as the Congo Basin. Europe had an industrial surplus which led them to find markets abroad, making the African colonies both their supplier of raw materials as well as consumers of European products.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pakenham |first=Thomas |title=The Scramble for Africa |date=December 15, 1991 |publisher=HarperCollins |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Boahem |first=Adu A |title=African Perspectives on Colonialism |date=September 1, 1989 |publisher=JohnsHopkinsPress }}</ref>

Seven of the fourteen countries represented – [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Russian Empire|Russia]], [[Denmark]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Union between Sweden and Norway|Sweden-Norway]], the [[Ottoman Empire]], and the [[United States]] – came home without any formal possessions in Africa.